The present invention relates to method of and apparatus for transmitting news data with script for use with a system for gathering news.
When gathering news such as incident or accident, a cameraman and a journalist visit the field of incident or accident with an FPU (field pick-up) apparatus or by a field pick-up van. On the field of incident or accident, the cameraman takes a picture of news material by a video camera, and the journalist writes a news story (script) and gathers news material of incident or accident in detail. The FPU apparatus is a general term for equipments for relaying news material from the field to a video base station (e.g., key television broadcasting station in the metropolitan area), and includes equipments for transmitting video and audio signals of video image and equipments such as mobile telephones for communicating contents of gathered news (script) written by the journalist to the key television broadcasting station.
A video film of news data is treated by a coarse edit for eliminating useless video film portions on the field, and transmitted to the video base station via an FPU transmission line or, recently, a transmission line of SNG (satellite news gathering) system.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows an ENG (electronic news gathering) system for transmitting news data between the field and the video base station.
As shown in FIG. 1, a news material is picked up by a video camera 51, and a picked-up image from the video camera 51 is recorded by a VCR (video cassette recorder) 53. An analog composite video signal outputted from the VCR 53 is transmitted from a portable antenna 55 of the FPU apparatus on the field through a relay station having a stationary parabola antenna 57 installed on high ground such as the top of a mountain to a stationary parabola antenna 61 of a video station 59 via microwaves.
FIG. 2 shows an SNG system using a satellite used in transmitting data of news material between the field and the video base station. In this SNG system using a satellite shown in FIG. 2, an analog composite video signal from a mobile antenna 63 and a portable antenna 55 of an earth station (up-link) which is an FPU apparatus carried to the field is immediately transmitted through an artificial satellite transponder (relay station) 13 to a stationary parabola antenna 65 of the video base station 59. Thus, the SNG system using satellite has excellent merits from a prompt report standpoint. At present, common carriers (e.g., SCC and JC-SAT) control artificial satellites, and several transponders are commonly used by several broadcasting stations and network-broadcasting stations.
Further, at present, a development of a DSNG (digital satellite news gathering) system is started being considered as a future SNG system for transmitting a digital signal.
Of information transmitted to the video base station, video information is edited by a control center (often referred to as a "news center" in some broadcasting stations) within the video base station, and the video information and gathered news written by the journalist are compared and combined. If necessary, the gathered news data is corrected as a script (broadcasting script). When a news program is broadcasted, video image is broadcasted with background sounds. At the same time, a manner in which an announcer or newscaster reads the script and the newscaster explains news is televised.
In the SNG system (see FIG. 2) which is now commercially available, a transmitted signal is an analog composite color video signal (video signal) which is continuous in time. A corresponding audio signal (audio signal) is superimposed upon the analog composite color video signal, and then transmitted. Accordingly, a signal transmitted according to the SNG system has neither spacing on the timebase nor empty portion on the frequency band for adding these information data. The gathered news (script) of journalist is transmitted to the video base station 59 by use of a public telephone line connecting a field telephone 101 to a video base station telephone 103 which is an independent route from the SNG system, and is transmitted to the video base station 59 in the form of sounds.
In this case, in the news center located within the video base station 59 for receiving information, the video signal and the gathered news (script) transmitted through the two routes are compared with each other, and the video signal and the gathered news are combined properly. Thereafter, the video signal (video image and sounds) are edited. If necessary, the gathered news is corrected, and generated as a broadcasting script.
However, a huge amount of video information and gathered news concerning news data are centered to the news center located within the video base station every day. Therefore, it is difficult to properly control video information and gathered news, to compare them correctly and rapidly and to transmit them to the news center.
Furthermore, a gathered news script which contains many persons' names and place names should preferably be transmitted from the field to the news center in the form of characters with kanji (Chinese character) mixed thereto. Specifically, since kanji has homonyms, it is frequently observed that place names, etc., cannot be accurately transmitted via only sounds by the telephone without difficulty. Thus, person's names and place names should preferably be transmitted in the form of characters with kanji mixed thereto.